Hit the Next Round of Fiestas in Playa Garza March 1 to 4

Photo by Adam Dietrich

If the fiestas in Samara, Nosara and Nicoya left you wanting more, don’t despair.  More fiestas are coming up in Playa Garza from March 1st to 4th. The fiestas are being organized by the community’s new Integral Development Association, elected at the end of 2012.

This is only the second time fiestas have been held in Garza, which promises a variety of activities including a horse ride along Garza beach and through the surrounding mountains on Sunday, March 3 beginning at noon.  Another new event is an athletic race on Saturday the 2nd starting at 2 p.m. from the Barco del Amor hall, with a 5.6-kilometer run on Garza beach and a 10-kilometer race along the beaches of Garza and Guiones.  Registration will be 7,000 ($14) and 10,000 colones ($20) respectively. 

The typical bull riding events during the fiestas will begin at 5 p.m. each evening. On Friday, March 1st, bulls will come from La Nueva Esperanza and El Palmar haciendas and the riders will be Los Bajureños. On Saturday, four haciendas will face off (La Nueva Esperanza, El Palmar, La Nueva Reina and El Retorno) with riders Los Cumiches, and as a special treat there will also be an equestrian show from Los Pachangueiros and Competencia Rustica.  Sunday’s bull riding show will feature Los Potros, and the final event on Monday, the 4th, the famous group Los Nicoyanos will take on the bulls from La Nueva Reina and Hacienda Ostional.

Funds generated by the four days of fiestas will help advance community projects such as improvements to the EBAIS clinic, the possible creation of a police post, support for the Ecological Blue Flag program, creating a sports plaza and improving roads in Garza, according to Marianela Bustamante, fiscal of the development association and member of the marketing sub-commission for the fiestas.